


Tiger Stripes

by Slayer_of_Hearts



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types, Original Work
Genre: Comfort, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:21:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28063875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slayer_of_Hearts/pseuds/Slayer_of_Hearts
Summary: Simba and Al have a conversation about her scars
Relationships: Simba/Al
Kudos: 2
Collections: Sin Bin DnD





	Tiger Stripes

**Author's Note:**

> TW: mention of scars (cause is kept vague)  
> Otherwise just some wholesome SimbAl content!

It was well past midnight but the celebration was still in full swing. Simba, Al and the other adventurers had saved the day yet again and, as a reward, the village decided to throw them a huge party in their honor. The townspeople and adventurers were packed into the local tavern like sardines and enjoying copious amounts of the local food and drink. 

As the night went on, the villagers began to trickle out of the tavern and the adventurers started heading next door to the inn one by one to get some well deserved sleep. After thanking the tavern owner for the celebration, Al and Simba, the remaining two party members, began walking to the inn. 

“I think I’m going to wash up before heading to bed” Al says casually as they begin walking up the stairs leading to their rooms. “Don’t think I'll be able to sleep until I get some of this grime off of me. Try to get some sleep, okay?” Al says while giving Simba a stern glance, knowing his habit of staying up late.

“Whatever you say, boss” Simba replies while giving Al a little salute and flashing his usual, toothy grin. 

“See you in the morning” Al says as she breaks left at the top of the stairs, heading toward the wash rooms. 

“See ya! Sleep well!” Simba replies as he breaks right and starts walking towards his room.

\---------------------------------------------------

After some tossing and turning, Simba decides he is unable to sleep. I mean how could he? Between the epic adventure and the even more epic party, he was wide awake and full of energy!

‘Hmm.. I wonder if Al’s awake and wants to do something?’ Simba thinks to himself. I know sometimes she has a hard time getting to sleep. I’ll go see!

Simba shoots up out of bed and makes his way towards Al’s room. When he arrives at her door, he gently knocks on her door and loudly whispers “Hey Al. Are you awake? I can’t sleep. Want to go on a walk or something?”

After a few more knocks, the door begins to creak open. In the doorway stands a tired Al wearing a tube top, midriff exposed, and a pair of dark long johns that hug her toned legs. As she attempts to wipe the sleep from her eyes she sleepily says “Simba? Didn’t I tell you to get some sleep?”

Simba feels his face get hot from embarrassment after noticing his eyes wandering. He covers his face with hands and attempts to apologize for waking Al as well as for staring at her weirdly, but he keeps tripping over his words. Al sighs. She grabs Simba’s arms and gently guides them away from his face and asks “Do you want to come in? You’re already here so you might as well.”

Simba shyly replies “O-Oh. Yeah sure.” 

‘Why did I get so embarrassed just now? That was so weird.’ Simba thinks to himself. 

Al turns and starts walking back into the room and Simba follows her, closing the door behind him. As he turns to face Al, something catches his eye. On the parts of Al’s back not obstructed by her top he notices some markings. Some are small and minute while others stretch across larger portions of her skin. Simba’s eyes light up as he exclaims “”Woah! What are those?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Al asks as she turns her head to face Simba, confused and still a bit sleepy. 

“Those marks on your back!” Simba replies.“They look really cool!”

“Oh” Al replies solemnly. “Well.. they’re scars.” Al turns her head away from Simba and begins to nervously fidget with her pants. 

Completely oblivious, Simba moves closer and says “Cool! Are they like the ones on your arms? How did you get them? Was it from some big fight? Or did you get them performing some big stunt that didn’t go well? Come on tell me!”

“No nothing like that” Al replies, still turned away. “Well I guess there are a few on my arms that I got from fighting, but the other ones, well..” Al trails off and Simba tilts his head in confusion and concern, slowly realizing Al’s change in demeanor. “The other ones are from a time in my life I don’t like thinking about. A time when I was weak and vulnerable and unable to protect the people I cared about most. Because of that, I don’t really like talking about them and I don’t really see them as ‘cool’ like you do. They’re just blatant, ugly reminders of my failure and shortcomings that I’ll never be able to erase.” As a few stray tears flowed down Al’s cheeks, her fists began to ball up around her pants to help assist with keeping her composure. 

“I don’t think they’re ugly” Simba replies in a more serious tone of voice, a stark contrast to his normal happy go-lucky personality. Al’s eyes widen in surprise as Simba continues to speak while moving closer. “And I don’t think they’re reminders of failure or anything like that. To me, they represent how strong and resilient you are. You went through something really bad and you fought to survive so you can live a life you want to live. Not a lot of people can say that. A lot of people tend to fall into the darkness of their situation and try to change it or fight against it. Those scars are proof that, despite what life has thrown at you, you never stopped fighting. Because of that, I think you should wear them proudly like.. hmm..” Simba pauses for a moment, trying to think of a good analogy to complete his point. 

Simba snaps his fingers and excitedly says “I got it! They’re like tiger stripes! You should wear your scars proudly like a tiger wears his stripes.” Simba closes the remaining distance between him and Al and is about to give her a hug when he catches a glimpse of the scars again and pauses. Not really knowing why, he feels the sudden urge to reach out and touch them. 

The tears slowly stop and Al begins to release her grip from her pants, feeling much more relaxed and at ease. She lets a soft smile come across her lips as she begins to turn around, however something stops her dead in her tracks. She feels a light touch start to move up and down her back which sends a shiver down her spine. She discreetly glances over her shoulder to see Simba gently tracing the scars on her back with the tips of his fingers. “So pretty.. so cool” he mutters to himself, almost in a trance-like state. 

Al turns her face away from Simba as it turns bright red from embarrassment. ‘What is he doing?!?’ she thinks to herself. ‘Has he absolutely lost his mind? I have to stop this, but.. Why am I hesitating?’ She turns her head again to see a smiling Simba still absolutely engrossed in his task, his hands being sure to trace every last detail of the proclaimed tiger stripes on her back. Al smiles to herself and turns her face away from Simba once again. ‘Well it does feel nice I suppose.. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to stay like this for at least a little longer.’ Al thinks to herself as she closes her eyes, letting her body relax against Simba’s touch. 

After a few minutes, Al clears her throat in an attempt to get Simba’s attention. “Hey Simba?” she asks. 

“Yes, Al?” Simba asks, finally looking away from her back.

“It’s getting kind of late so I was wondering.. May I have my back please so I can use it to lay in bed and sleep?” Al replies.

Simba looks at her confused and is about to ask for clarification when he realizes where his hand is. He immediately pulls his hands away and begins to apologize similarly to how he did earlier. Even through his fur, Al can see a faint blush come across his cheeks which he tries to cover with his hands. At the sight of this, Al lets out a genuine laugh that catches Simba completely off guard. He moves his hands away from his face and sees Al doubled over from laughing so hard. ‘Wow.. I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard Al laugh for real’ Simba thinks to himself. ‘I want to make her laugh like that more often.’

“I’m sorry” Al says through laughs. “Your reaction was just too funny and sweet.”

“It’s okay. I guess I zoned out for a bit there. Sorry again!” Simba replies while rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. “I should leave you alone so you can get some sleep.” Simba begins to walk toward the door when he feels a hand grab his wrist, stopping him. He turns to see Al, looking up at him. “You okay?” he asks. 

“Yeah I’m fine. I just wanted to give you something before you go. Can you lean down a bit?” Al asks as she gestures for Simba to lean down closer to her with her finger. Simba obliges and, before he even knew what was happening, Al plants a kiss on Simba’s cheek. 

Simba’s eyes widen in surprise as his hand moves to his cheek. “W-What was that for?” he asks, confused and a bit flustered. 

“Consider it a thank you for what you said earlier. You really changed my perspective on things and made me feel truly beautiful for the first time in a really long time so.. thank you” Al replies. A smile forms on her lips as she looks Simba directly in the eyes and says “thank you” once again. 

After that, Simba and Al exchange good nights and Simba leaves while closing the door behind him. He leans against the door for a moment, one hand moving to his cheek while the other moves over his heart which is beating faster than normal.

‘What am I feeling right now?’ Simba thinks to himself as he moves off the door and begins to walk back to his room, with a smile on his face.


End file.
